Pushing the Boundaries of Horror

One of my first blog posts of the semester was about the horror genre, so it seems only fitting that I close out the semester on the same topic. By now everyone has heard about the horror-comedy Krampus that opened just last week. I previously blogged about  just how ridiculously easy it is to make a TERRIBLE  horror flick,   citing M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit in just how far fetched these horror films have become. I haven't seen Krampus, but I still can't believe that there was actually a horror movie made ABOUT CHRISTMAS!!!!! There is no way this movie can take itself seriously. 

The film is about an anti-Santa Clause those goes around punishing kids who have misbehaved on Christmas Eve. Of course in true horror fashion the creature has to be some goat-devil entity. This film was relatively low budget (surprise) at $15million, but after its opening weekend it has already pulled in over $16million and came in SECOND at the Box office. That is ridiculous. That means that Krampus beat out both Creed and good Dinosaur (sorry Sam). Lets keep in mind that this is a horror movie about Christmas, a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Not exactly horror movie material. This just goes to show you how far Hollywood is willing to stretch their limits. Or could they really just be that low on ideas?

This film is based off of folklore, which in my eyes at least gives it some credibility, but I'm not sure making a feature film out of it was the right move. Sure, a dark and funny Christmas movie has been done before, just look at Gremlins, but making the switch to full blown horror with a touch of comic hilarity just doesn't seem right for a Christmas movie. 

While it might not be as downright creepy or gory, I can't help but think of the cult-classic Evil Dead movies when I think of Krampus. I just can't see this movie taking itself seriously; if it does, I'm not sure its worth the watch. If Krampus realizes itself for what it is and accepts its limitations as a film, then it might be a completely different story.